Mozilla Open Source Support (MOSS) Update: Q1 2016

This is an update on the Mozilla Open Source Support (MOSS) program for the first quarter of 2016. MOSS is Mozilla’s initiative to support the open source community of which we are a part.

We are pleased to announce that MOSS has been funded for 2016 – both the existing Track 1, “Foundational Technology”, and a new Track 2, “Mission Partners”. This new track will be open to any open source project, but the work applied for will need to further the Mozilla mission. Exactly what that means, and how this track will function, is going to be worked out in the next few months. Join the MOSS discussion forum to have your say.

On Track 1, we have paid or are in the process of making payments to six of the original seven successful applicants whose awards were finalized in December; for the seventh one, work has been postponed for a period. We are learning from our experience with these applications. Much process had to be put in place for the first time, and we hope that future award payments will be smoother and quicker.

This year so far, two more applications have been successful. The Django REST Framework, which is an extension for Django, has been awarded $50,000, and The Intern, a testing framework, has been awarded $35,000. Our congratulations go out to them. We are at the stage of drawing up agreements with both of these projects.

Applications remain open for Track 1. If you know of an open source project that Mozilla uses in its software or infrastructure, or Mozillians use to get their jobs done and which could do with some financial support, please encourage them to apply.